Chapter 3
When Liora opened her eyes again, there was no one beside her.
But her first thought wasn’t what a beautiful morning, it was, this is day four of the countdown.
Time was the Sword of Damocles to her, ready to drop at any moment and push her into the abyss for good.
She threw off the covers and headed into the bathroom. The splash of cold water on her face cleared her mind slightly.
As she stepped out of her room, the soft clinking of silverware came from the dining hall. Following the sound, she saw
Evelynne seated at the table, enjoying breakfast.
Evelynne looked up and smiled gently. Her tone was sweet.
“Liora, you’re awake? Carmen’s out. He was going to skip the pack meeting to accompany me to the auction today, but I
didn’t want him to neglect his pack duties just for me. It took a lot of convincing to finally get him out the door.”
She paused, then added with a subtle lilt in her voice, “I need someone to go with me. Why don’t you come with me
instead?”
Liora frowned, instinctively wanting to reject.
But Evelynne seemed to see straight through her and slowly set down her coffee cup.
“If you don’t come with me,” she said lightly, “I’ll just call Carmen and tell him you pushed me down the stairs on purpose.”
Liora’s fingers curled into fists, her nails digging deep into her palms. Her wolf growled low in her chest.
She knew what Evelynne was capable of, and she knew just how much Carmen trusted her. If Evelynne really said that,
he’d believe her without a moment’s hesitation.
Liora didn’t have the time to explain, let alone argue. She still needed Carmen to say those three words, “I love you.” She
couldn’t afford a confrontation with him now.
So she forced herself to nod coldly. “Fine. I’ll go with you.”
The car sped down the road to the auction house. Liora sat in silence, while Evelynne sat beside her, occasionally
glancing at her phone with a faint, unreadable smile tugging at her lips.
Suddenly, the car screeched to a halt.
A black van had swerved in front of them, blocking the road.
Before they could react, several masked men rushed over, yanked open the doors, and dragged them out. They were thrown into the van with no explanation.
Darkness closed in.
Liora could only hear Evelynne’s shrill screams and the heavy breathing of the kidnappers. Their scent was unfamiliar. They weren’t from any pack in this territory.”
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Ropes soaked in wolfbane bound her wrists tightly, the sting of it burning her skin and making her wince in pain.
The van bumped along for what felt like forever before finally coming to a stop. The two of them were dragged out and
hauled to the edge of a cliff.
The leader pulled off his mask, revealing a cold face.
Liora immediately recognized him. It was Alpha Robert from the bluemoon pack, the Alpha who Carmen had just taken
down recently.
“Robert?” Liora frowned. “What are you trying to do?”
Robert let out a cold laugh, hatred burning in his eyes.
“What am I trying to do? Carmen swallowed up my pack. Now I’ll make sure he loses the one he loves.”
Liora’s heart sank suddenly. “Robert, calm down. There’s still room to fix this. This doesn’t have to end like this.”
“Calm down?” Robert’s voice rose sharply. “I can’t calm down! Carmen destroyed everything I had. I’ll return the favor.”
After that, with a wave of his hand, a few kidnappers immediately shoved Liora and Evelynne toward the cliff’s edge.
The sea below roared in black waves, crashing violently against the rocks. It looked like a giant, gaping maw, waiting to
devour everything.
Then Robert took out his phone and dialed Carmen’s number.
“Alpha Carmen,” he said once the call connected, “I’ve got your two women. You’ve got one hour. Pick one. The other goes
into the sea. Remember, you only get to save one.”
There was silence on the other end for a moment.
Then came Carmen’s voice, cold and sharp. “Robert, if you lay a hand on either of them, I’ll make sure you wish you were
dead.”
Robert laughed darkly. “You’re not in a position to threaten me anymore. One hour, Carmen. I’m waiting.”
He ended the call.
Liora’s heartbeat pounded in her ears.
She knew exactly Carmen would choose Evelynne.
She had already accepted being the one left behind. But even so, the ache that swelled in her chest couldn’t be stopped.
One hour later, Carmen appeared at the cliffside.
His gaze swept past Liora and Evelynne, then locked onto Robert. His voice was cold.
“Robert, let them go.”
Robert sneered. “I told you, Alpha Carmen. You only get to save one. Choose. Time’s almost up.”
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Carmen’s gaze shifted between Liora and Evelynne.
Finally, he said coldly, “I’m not choosing. Because I’m taking them both. I’m not leaving anyone behin
Liora froze in place, stunned.
Even Evelynne’s eyes widened in shock, as if she couldn’t believe what she’d just heard.
